Trust Me
by HobsonsChoice
Summary: Season 3 AU; After Boiling Rock, before The Southern Raiders. All was well at the Western Air Temple until lizards the color of night and men wielding black fire intervene, capturing all but Zuko and Katara. They must track down the kidnappers and save their friends before Sozin's Comet comes, all while grappling with feelings of distrust and apparent dislike.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Black Fire

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."

Terry Pratchett

My eyes are wedged open by errant sunbeams and a suspicious noise coming from the sheer rock face protecting the Western Air Temple. It's one of those sounds that tickles the edge of consciousness, soft enough to suppress, but invariably there. I push myself upright and glance around to find Aang and Zuko tense and wide awake, just as aware of the faint scrabbling noises, like pebbles overturning. Aang's large gray eyes wander to the cliffside and then to me. He brings a finger to his lips and begins to edge his way towards the sound on his hands and knees. My mouth forms an 'o' of protest, but I swallow the words and watch in silence.

Aang's head slowly peeks over the edge, time stopping, and then he pulls back, smiling. "It was only a gila—whoa!" The pseudo-quiet shatters, replaced by a stunning shriek that shakes the stone walls of the temple. And then a wave of darkness and heat curls up and out, terrifyingly fast and elegant—_black fire_. Aang whirls out of the way in a ball of wind, landing in a defensive position.

"What's going on?" Hakoda shouts over the siren screams that grow louder every second. Everyone, now awake, stares ahead in horror and anticipation for whatever's coming.

"I dunno, pops, but whatever it is, it can't be good," Toph replies and kicks her heel back into the ground, lobbing a disk of earth into the air in front of her.

Then they come—two of them, the screeching creatures. Great, rippling, and black as night— reptilian creatures with mean eyes and white paint, like ash and withering branches, smeared down their flanks. The men atop are equally as intimidating with charcoal skin, searing golden eyes, and the same ashy war paint adorning their bodies.

"We can take 'em!" Sokka declares with a determined swipe at his nose.

Then the next wave of howling lizards sweep over the edge of the cliff in a burst of black fire that doesn't quite reach us, more to intimidate than to harm.

"Never mind," Sokka amends loudly. "Retreat!"

The greater part of the group books it towards the interior of the temple, while the rest of us take a more offensive route. I drag water up from the circular fountain and make two water whips, snapping them at the lizards' legs to drive them back. Zuko deflects the strange bursts of black fire from the men atop the howler lizards while Aang sends sweeping rolls of air low to the ground. The lizards hold fast, digging their stalwart claws into the stone, shrieking even louder and shaking the walls even harder. Rock begins to tumble from the columns.

The men leap from off the creatures with startling stealth and grace for their immense size. Five in all. They rush forward, the lizards fast at their heels with their mouths agape, screaming with all their might.

"Time to move!" Toph shouts from behind us. I send one last raging wave of water at my opponents, making them stumble backwards before moving towards the escape route. Aang turns to run, then hesitates when Zuko continues to blast fire out of his palms with no intention of turning back.

"What are you doing?"

"Go ahead! I'll hold them off!" Zuko shouts back and with a furious grunt, fends off a blast of black fire.

"Zuko! No!" Aang cries, but Zuko's already charging forward.

Sokka and I run up from behind him, grabbing onto his shoulders. "C'mon! We've gotta get out of here!" Sokka yells, and then the three of us race back to where the rest of the group is piled in the entrance to a gaping tunnel in the wall. Aang sends one last glance at Zuko before airbending the temple doors shut, quieting the shrieking by a few degrees, though the walls still shudder. Sokka and I meanwhile, frantically tug on Appa's reigns, trying to get him into the tunnel. Aang runs to join us.

"C'mon, Appa!" I coax, in as calm of a voice as I can muster.

"You can do it, boy!" Sokka encourages him, and pulls as hard as he can, leaning back on his heels.

Appa lets out a distressed groan and tosses his great, big head. "I can't make him go in there! Appa hates tunnels!" Aang finally says and drops the reigns.

"Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here," I reason just as the doors to the chamber shutter with a great a force being launched into them. My thoughts briefly flicker to Zuko out there alone, but I push them away. _If he can't handle it, he'll just get what's coming to him. _

"We'll have to find a way!" Aang says determinedly.

Sokka nods. "We'll have to split up." He turns to the rest of the group. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship."

"No!" I stare fiercely at my dad and brother. "The Fire Nation won't separate our family again!" My hands ball painfully into tight fists and I blink hard as my face grows hot and my throat knots up.

Dad gathers some semblance of a knowing smile. "It'll be okay. It's not forever."

I hesitate for a moment and then rush into his arms, perhaps for the last time, not knowing once more whether I'll see him ever again. I try to fit all the things I want to say to him into one embrace and then I pull back, staring at the ground as I retreat to where Sokka, Suki, Aang, and Toph are. The larger half of the group sadly backs away into the tunnel and Haru slams a wall of stone into place and they disappear into the earth. _I hope to see all of you again. _

Just then, a section of the doors explode in an array of splinters as Zuko's body bursts through. He lets out a pained cry and the rest of the doors are breached as enormous ebony claws rake through them. The howler lizards stick their menacing heads through the openings and their riders launch over them and into the chamber.

"Appa!" Aang shouts. My head whips over to where a net pins the sky bison to the ground, then another net whirls into the air and captures Aang.

"Aang!" I begin to sprint towards him, but in my peripherals I see a great, black lizard lumbering towards me, its mouth slowly opening. I can almost hear it drawing a breath. A powerful scream blasts into my ears and then something hits me hard in the shoulder, in the chest, and then I'm slammed to the ground all at once. Something cold showers over me, lightly sprinkling dust in my hair and on my cheeks and lips. There's little pain and everything is so stunningly quiet and dark, like I've been launched into sudden night. I can see blurs through the fog, movement and color. And then a certain sound reaches me, faint, but all too familiar.

"Sokka!"

"Suki, no!"

And then the sound of fire, always that same rush of fire. Pained cries.

"_Sokka!_"

I feel a clenching in my chest, eyes swimming before me, maybe it's from the sudden pain, maybe it's from-_Sokka, Suki, Aang. Something's happened to them. _

My vision snaps into focus. There's movement. Toph is surrounded by men wielding nets and black fire. She grunts with each blast she deflects, but she's tired. She pulls up a tent of stone around her as a last-ditch effort. I flinch as the men tear it down. Toph would be disappointed; she's the best earthbender the world's ever seen, but she was outnumbered. I shut my eyes tight as a man carries my powerful little friend over his shoulder as if she were nothing. Nothing at all.

I open my eyes once more and sees Aang, Sokka, Suki, and Toph in wooden cages fastened to the backs of the howler lizards. Aang and Sokka and Toph are unconscious and Suki's struggling against the bars, battering at them with her bare hands. They begin to retreat down the cliff. I cry out and attempt to wrench my arms free, but I'm met only by sharp pain. I try to kick my way out, but my legs won't move, too weighed down by stone. I lay my head down painfully in the pile of rubble, ceasing to struggle. My heart pounds hard and fast and helpless tears streak down my face as my friends disappear from view.

I search desperately for a way out of this hopeless mess, but find nothing. Nothing but a man with the charcoal skin and swirling ashes of paint atop a howler lizard, staring intently at one last survivor. _Zuko_.

The lizard aggressively scrapes at the ground with his claws, but the man riding it corrects so it looms directly overhead. The moment seems to last for an eternity, the man and Zuko staring, but with one last calculated glare, the howler lizard eases away and then swiftly follows the rest down the cliff.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Hate

"Her hatred glittered irresistibly. I could see it, the jewel, it was sapphire, it was the cold lakes of Norway."

Janet Fitch

_He let him live. He took my friends and let Zuko stay. Why? Why was he left behind? _

Anger wells up in me like it never has before. I growl in frustration as I haul myself upright, wrenching my arms from the rubble, the rock ripping at my skin. I grind my fingers into the stone and pull myself back, tearing my legs free, my pants and tunic shredding in the process. I pant heavily, examining the ribbons of blood running down my arms and legs, feeling the bruises and the cracks in me. Then I glance up, eyes narrowing. Zuko is standing, shaking, staring at his hands.

"_You_," I spit with as much malice as I can muster. I climb to my feet, using the pile of rocks to cling to. Zuko's head whips in my direction, surprised to see me. _You would be. _"_You_ did this. I knew we couldn't trust you-"

"Katara, I didn't-"

I waver a little, my legs threatening to give out. I refuse. "They're _gone_ because of you!" I bend a weak stream of water around my hands. _You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. _"They trusted you and you betrayed them!" _Because I'll make sure your destiny ends... right then and there. Permanently._ I take a step forward, but my ankle gives out and I fall to my knees, the water splashes to the ground. The helpless, angry tears come back. "How _could _you?"

"...I didn't do this, Katara," Zuko says, barely above a whisper. His feet inch forward.

I lift my head, fixing him with a hard gaze. "Don't come near me. Don't you _dare_ come near me."

Zuko's mouth flounders for words. _How could this happen? They trusted him and now they're gone. And it's all his fault. _"I... I don't know how this happened, but I promise you, I had nothing to do with it." He says it softly, placating, like it's the truth, like I shouldn't be angry with him.

I say nothing.

"I'm sorry, Katara-"

"Stop. Just... stop." I swipe at my eyes with my dusty palms and stand, my thighs quaking with the effort. But I know what I have to do and I'll have to find the strength within me to do it. The world depends on it. "I have to find them."

"Katara, wait!"

But I'm loping as fast as my injuries will allow me towards the cliffside. I steady myself on a crumpled column of stone and peer down. I can't see them. They're gone and I don't know which way they went. It's all just rolling fog. "Where did they go?" I whisper, searching and searching for any sign in the mist. I glance back at Zuko, who's standing there, just watching. "Which way did they go?!" I demand.

He frowns and points to the right. "That way," he says quietly.

I look down once more. I can't climb down this, I'll have to follow from above. I turn and stalk past Zuko, towards the path away from the temple.

"Katara!" Zuko calls and I walk faster, my legs groaning with effort. "_Katara!_" I break into a run. _I hate him. I hate him so much for this. _I falter, my body gives out and I fall to my hands and knees. Pain blooms in my chest and I let out a strange choking sob. Zuko's feet are approaching quickly. "You're hurt." I grimace and spit a mouthful of blood on the stone path. "C'mon." He moves closer.

"Don't touch me," I choke out and shove my arms up, sliding back onto my knees.

"Let me," he insists.

"No!" I shout. _Get up. You can do this. Just stand up. _I gather myself into a crouch and push my legs up with all my might only to come crashing down on my side. I breathe heavily; I'm so furious, but I'm so very, very tired.

Zuko kneels behind me and slides one arm under my knees and the other beneath my back, picking me up. I fix him with a poisonous glare, and he politely ignores it, staring on ahead as he walks. From this side I can see his scar, a violent purple comet._ It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face._ I remember how it felt, the scar, rough in some places, smooth in others. _Maybe you could be free of it. _

I feel cool water seeping into my shoes and the bottoms of my pants. Zuko slowly deposits me in the water and I lie there limply in the fountain, staring at the ceiling. Then, gathering all my energy, the water begins to glow a familiar blue and I focus in on my broken body until everything fades.

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相信我

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I jerk awake, my head reeling as I sit upright. The sun hovers just above the horizon and the sky burns orange below the dusky blue. Sunset. Night's not far behind. I peer around me. I'm dry and on my bedroll, and empty sleeping bags surround me, all in a circle. It hits me again, right in the chest, this helplessness, this anger-the same feeling I get when I think about what the Fire Nation did to my mother, only intensified. I lift myself off the ground, my muscles creaking, but there's no real pain. Just by the fountain, I catch a glimpse of a head of dark hair.

"Zuko," I say, a little softer than I had intended to. I walk towards where he sleeps, slumped forward, his head lolled to the side. All I can see is the smooth side of his face, unscarred. He looks deceptively gentle and childlike. "Zuko," I hiss, louder this time, and he awakens, narrowing his eyes when he finds me. I'll need his help for this. I can't rescue Aang and the others by myself, not with what those men are capable of. As much as I hate to say it, I need Zuko. "We have to go."

Zuko studies me for a moment and then nods, climbing to his feet.

I cross my arms across my chest. "Can you track them?"

He deliberates. "...I can try."

"Let's go, then."

And so we gather some supplies and travel in silence up the stone paths and stairways until we reach the rope that Zuko had climbed down days ago. We scale the last portion of the cliff and emerge into the forested area beyond just as the sun finally dips below the horizon.

"We can follow them from above," Zuko says, staring at the darkened sky. "Hopefully they'll have stopped for the night and we can catch up to them."

"...Okay," I reply and we continue on.

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相信我

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All Rights of Avatar: The Last Airbender belong to the respective creators, I claim nothing.

Hey, there! So, this story is my baby. A lot of love and care has gone into it, and I've had a lot of help from some really great friends who have given me feedback and helped with the whole story-making process, including the wonderful Gingersoup (there was a hyperlink, but those don't work here, so just look up the username. Go on. I believe in you). I greatly appreciate anyone who's reading/following/favoriting/reviewing. And I feel like I'm accepting a Golden Globe Award or something. Ahhhh, anyways. How about a note on updates and for how this story is going to progress? So far, the story's been a little dark and it seems like the Gaang's in for it, but I promise it does get more light-hearted and there are some new characters coming soon. Also, I plan on updating once a week (the chapters will get a little longer later), but I'll admit I won't always make the deadline because school is… school and we've got the spring musical and college and asdifpuhadfg. Yaaaaay.

Also, I made a banner! You can find a link to it on my profile.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Camp

"The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way you can make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him."

Henry L. Stimson

The sun rises, sending a honey glow across the treetops, and tracing warmth onto my night-chilled skin. Zuko and I have been travelling all night by the comforting glow of the moon and stars; I felt determined then, assured by the push and pull of Twi and La that we would find the men that took our friends and do whatever it took to save them. But now it's morning and we haven't found any sight of them or a camp in all this time. "Did they not stop?" I demand quietly, my voice scratchy from disuse.

Zuko shrugs, still walking ahead, not even bothering to look back. It's like he doesn't realize that we could fail, that we might not find them in time. They may be a thousand miles away and we might never see them again, and he couldn't care less.

My anger flares up. "Rrrg, this is hopeless!" I lean my back against a nearby tree and hold my palms to my head. "We've been walking all night and we haven't found anything. They're gone." _Gone. _I find myself sitting on the ground, trembling and feeling weak and stupid and-

"Get up," Zuko says.

"_What?_" I look up, and he's standing there with his arms crossed. "Since when can you tell me what to do?"

He ignores me. "We have to keep moving." He holds his hand out to me, but I shove it away, climbing to my feet on my own.

"Fine. Lead the way, _jerkbender_," I scoff and let him take the lead, following behind with my hands balled into fists.

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相信我

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"What's that?" Zuko suddenly speaks up.

"What's what?"

"That. Up ahead." He points, and breaks into a faster gait. I rush beside him, keeping up with his strides.

Zuko and I kneel beside a snuffed-out campfire. He holds his hands over the ash and wrinkled logs. "Still warm," he says. "They left not too long ago."

"How far behind are we?" I ask, standing, feeling a spark of hope for the first time in a while.

"Not more than an hour."

I almost smile, but extinguish it. We don't know what we'll have to face when we find them. "Let's get moving, then."

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相信我

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"We're close," I murmur, spying a cluster of tents through the trees.

"Get low, we don't want to be seen," Zuko says in a low voice, crouching in the bushes. I follow suit, and we crawl towards the clearing. I can't see any place where they might be keeping our friends. There's no way they could hide Appa in one of those tents. "Stop," Zuko suddenly hisses. I pause, mid-stride, and peer around me. But it's too late.

There's a small boy gaping at us, half-hidden behind a tree. He has the familiar charcoal skin and gold eyes, but he looks terrified rather than impassive. We stare at one another in silence, and then he tears off through the trees, heading towards the camp. "Hey, come back!" Zuko shouts, and hops to his feet, sprinting after the boy. I follow behind, hot on his heels. Tree branches retaliate against my cheeks and arms, and bushes get caught in my tunic; I lose sight of the child.

Then suddenly we're in the middle of the camp, the boy nowhere to be found, and a dozen eyes zeroed in on us. Only, these aren't the warriors who kidnapped our friends. They share remarkable resemblance, but these are women and children and the elderly, all looking at us with weariness. I glance around. Half the tents are singed, some burned entirely to the ground. "What happened here?" I wonder aloud.

Then the child returns, clinging to the leg of a warrior with dark skin and fierce golden eyes that somehow seem tamer now. He's one of the kidnappers; he's the one that let Zuko go. Zuko and I flinch back into defensive positions; I whip open my canteen, bending water around my hands. "Where are they?"

The warrior raises his palms calmly. "Peace," he says in a voice that rumbles like thunder, but there's something in it that I don't expect- a curious sort of kindness.

I blink lowering my hands slightly, then gather my bearings again. "Where are our friends?" I ask again, placing a hard grimace on my mouth.

The man sighs, his hands falling to his sides. "They are gone."

"Gone?" I echo.

I don't even have time to process the word when Zuko steps forward, fire igniting in his palms. "Where are they now? Who took them?" he insists.

"Azula," a small voice pipes up from behind the warrior. The boy peeks out at Zuko and me. "That's what they called her. They took Asha too."

"Asha?" I ask, hoping to figure out just what scheme the Fire Princess has planned this time, but Zuko interrupts.

"Azula," he hisses. "I should have known." The flames are gone and he's looking at his palms, shaking his head. Maybe he's ashamed. Maybe he feels guilty. He looks towards the surrounding forest, and without another word, escapes into the trees.

"Zuko!" I shout after him and go to follow, but I glance back at the boy and his father. "...I'll be back," I promise, not knowing what else to say. Then I'm running through the trees after him, even though I'm full of burning questions for these people. I feel like they're telling the truth, but I can't just let Zuko go off galavanting and leave me to do the talking. "Alright, good plan!" I yell. "Just run away! That's real productive, Sparky!" _He's so infuriating. Can't he keep his emotions in check for just a second?_

I see him ahead in a small clearing, punching in earnest at a tree trunk. "That's not helping things, you know," I say, crossing my arms.

He turns, breathing heavily, his hair in his eyes. "I'm just so _stupid_. I should have expected something like this from her. Especially after what happened at Boiling Rock. I'm so-"

"Stupid, I know," I finish for him. "But if we want to save Aang and the others, we have to stay calm. Getting worked up like this won't solve anything. We just have to trust that we'll find them."

We're both silent for a moment.

"...Trust, huh?" Zuko ponders.

"Yes," I say, a little unsure of where's he's going with this.

"Why won't you trust me, Katara?" he asks, deceptively quiet.

"I-" I won't have this conversation. I settle on a glare.

"This isn't fair! Everyone else seems to trust me now!-Aang, Sokka, Toph-I mean, what is it with you?"

"Oh, everyone trusts you now! I was the first person to trust you! Remember, back in Ba Sing Se." I narrow my eyes. "And you turned around and betrayed me, betrayed all of us!"

Zuko shuts his eyes, and a resentful voice crawls out. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"You really want to know?" I take a step closer so we're mere feet away. "Hmm, maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know! You could bring my mother back!" My face contorts into a harsh scowl and then I turn and storm off back towards the camp, pressing the backs of my hands to my eyes. Stupid, irrational tears threaten to fall, but I hold them in, swallowing the sob curling in my throat. I dial down my thoughts and try to push all my concentration towards the task at hand, finding out what happened to my friends and bringing them back.

I make my way back to the tents, and the little boy's waiting there for me, cross-legged on the ground, digging at the ground with a stick, sighing. Then he notices me with a tiny jolt and heaves the stick over his shoulder, climbing to his feet. "I'll take you to my papa," he says shyly.

I warily follow him to a tent a little ways further into the camp, and we slip inside. It's slightly darker and takes awhile for my sun-stained eyes to adjust. My momentary blindness puts me on edge and my fingers twitch towards my canteen. But then I see the man from before seated around a makeshift table, apparently unarmed and as unthreatening as before, he nods to me in greeting. I nod back and kneel down opposite him, stifling all my fear and uncertainty. "Tell me everything."

I learn that their names are Masamba, chief of the tribe, and Jengo, his son. Several days ago, Azula came alone to their camp, claiming to be lost and in need of shelter. They decided to take her in, but before they knew it, they were surrounded by earthbenders and they had ahold of Asha, Masamba's daughter and key to the spirit world. She's able to contact the dragon spirits, potentially request their help, their blessing. Presumably, this is what Azula wants her for. However, at the time, Masamba only assumed Asha was being used as a bargaining chip. In order for the safe return of his daughter, he had to make a trade- a group of travellers at the Western Air Temple for Asha. That's where we come in. Masamba had no knowledge of the Avatar being among us; his only thought was saving his daughter. When he returned, they commenced the trade; Azula took Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Appa, and when it came time for Asha to be returned, she went back on her word and attacked.

"That's awful... I'm sorry," I say. My father would've done the same. I don't blame Masamba for what he did. I don't like it, but there wasn't any other option. With Azula and the Dai Li to deal with, kidnapping a group of travellers must have seemed like the best way to free Asha. "But I do have a question... Why did you leave Zuko-when you were at the temple? Why didn't you take him too?"

"He looks like her," Jengo says softly.

"Like Azula?" I ask.

"Like his mother," Masamba clarifies.

"His...?" _The Fire Nation took my mother away from me._

"Yes. She is here with us." _I'm sorry. That's something we have in common. _"But I'm afraid she's suffering. She was hurt in the attack."

I rise from the table. "Well, I can help. I can heal."

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相信我

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The tent where they house their sick and injured is mostly empty aside from an elderly man on a cot with an old woman standing over him, spooning him broth, and a younger woman moaning quietly near the corner. I move quickly towards her, Masamba trailing after me. "Do you have water I can use?" I ask, not wanting to use my bending water.

"Here," he says, placing a bronze basin in my hands, water sloshing up the sides. I kneel beside the cot where the woman lies and place the bowl on the ground. "Ursa, this is Katara. She will help you," Masamba says.

Ursa's golden eyes, so similar to Zuko's, search our faces aimlessly, nodding. I fold the blankets down and my eyes widen at the sight. Angry, red burns rivet down her arms and torso, and some stinking potion coats her skin from a previous healing attempt. She grimaces and motions to her forehead where dark bruises like muddy watercolors are beginning to form. I nod and bend the water from the bowl into my hands and push the thoughts from my head. The water begins to glow a bright blue and I set to work on her wounds.

_A sharp, powerful crack to the head, vision blurry. I see Aang slamming the bars of a wooden cage with his tied-up feet, then Sokka, Suki, Toph, and a girl with familiar dark skin and frightened bright eyes. Asha._

_Another hit to the head, against the ground, blood pounding fast. The Fire Princess smirking as former agents of the Dai Li deter any of the tribes people from approaching the cages, try as they may. _

_A great resounding headache begins pulsing. Azula's gaze settles. "Oh, hello, Mother," she says casually, blue fire sparking in her hands. "It's a shame Zuzu couldn't be here. He really would've liked to see this. Don't you think?" She cocks her head to the side and smiles mirthlessly. _

_The taste of dirt and blood from a bitten tongue. Azula's henchmen begin loading their captives onto the warship beyond the clearing. _

_ "What are you?" Ursa asks. _

_ "I'm your daughter, of course," she says, her smile faltering ever-so-slightly. _

_ "You're no daughter of mine!" The headache makes everything dark, small._

_ Azula's grin is snuffed out. "Goodbye, Mother." A bright flash of blue light and-_

"Thank you," Ursa sighs, her head lolling to the side on her pillow. The fiery rain that once stained her skin is now a raw pink, but is otherwise healed.

I nod to her and climb to my feet, legs shaking. _How could anyone do what Azula did? Did she mean to kill Ursa? Did Azula know her mother was here all along? Does Zuko kn- _"I have to find Zuko."

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相信我

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"Where _are _you?" I mutter, making my way, once again, through the forest to find the stupid Fire Prince. I hosted an internal debate all this way-maybe I shouldn't find him, and he won't even know his mother is nearby until he decides he wants to stop being a nut brain and go back to camp. But then again, I'd want someone-_anyone_-to tell me that my mother was alive and within reach. It's heartless not to at least try to inform him.

Distantly, I hear air rushing and a series of quiet grunts. _Found him_. I move in that direction, hoping I don't surprise him and end up burnt like Toph did. I find him in a clearing that may or may not be the one where we had our argument. He's furiously swiping at the air with fire, his legs swiftly slicing through the air in an array of light, bare arms extending and deftly pulsing flames from his fists.

"Zuko."

He rises from a crouch and turns, mildly surprised. "Katara..." He swipes his tunic from off a nearby tree branch, wriggling it over his head. "I-"

"-Your mother. She's here," I say stiffly.

"My... my mother?"

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相信我

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KAPOOOOOJSH. Exciting new developments! Kinda. I don't really like how this chapter turned out. It's a little forced, I think, but ennnnh... I did all I could. The next one'll be better, I promise, and I'll be posting it next week as promised. And that's about it. If you're enjoying it so far, please don't hesitate to tell me. Or, if you despise it, you can post a review too if you really feel like CRUSHING MY HOPES AND DREAMS. And that's about it. Have lovely day/night/morning/life. Mmmmhm. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Same Sky

"There can be no progress without head-on confrontation."

Christopher Hitchens

"Mom," Zuko says just as he haphazardly tumbles inside the tent, searching for a familiar face. Their gazes meet with a flicker of recognition.

"...Zuko?" Ursa simply stares for a moment, the air warm and still and silent. And then a smile begins to blossom on her lips, widening until her eyes are squeezed tightly shut, all her teeth showing, tears glistening in the gentle lines spanning outward from her eyelids. She shakily pushes herself further up, and opens her arms for Zuko as something between a laugh and a cry rises from her throat. Zuko stumbles towards her like he's not used to his own feet, and he slides to his knees by her side. Ursa quickly gathers him up and holds him like an overgrown child, gently rocking back and forth, like they're being pushed by some invisible wind. They stay there for a long time, mother and child, Ursa clutching Zuko so tight it looks as though she'll never let him go. She rests her cheek to his head, still embracing him fiercely. "You've grown so much," she whispers, tears spilling freely over her cheeks, her fingers stroking his hair. Zuko is trembling, his breath just a succession of shudders. "My son."

I swallow hard and I want to look away, but I can't.

"Just look at you," Ursa croons softly, pulling back and examining his face, and then suddenly looks heartbroken. "Oh, Zuko." She places her palm of the scarred side of his face.

"It's alright," he says gently, taking her hand from his cheek. "I'm alright." Then his expression grows dark and he tenses up. "You're hurt... What did she do to you-"

"-It's nothing, Zuko. Really, I'm fine. Your friend over there helped me." Ursa smiles in my direction and I flush, dropping my gaze. _He's not my friend. _

Zuko's eyes briefly flick to me, his face placid, betraying no emotion despite his wet eyes and phantom tear stains, and then he turns back to his mother. "I'm so glad you're okay," he says, paying me no more mind.

I stand there dumbly for a moment and then roll my eyes and exit the tent. "Not even a 'thank you'. You've got to be kidding me," I grumble, storming off into the woods. "I mean, who does he think he is? You save his mom's life and-nothing."

I find a boulder underneath a shady oak and I sit there fuming, sharply kicking my heels into the dirt. "Stupid jerkbending... _jerk_." I flop onto my back in resignation, arching over the rock. But then something in my knapsack starts furiously wriggling around in protestation. I bolt upright and fumble with the bag, finally holding it in my lap. My fingers hesitate on the drawstrings. _It's now or never. _I tug the bag open and out pops the head of a very familiar creature with abnormally large ears and big, bright eyes. "Momo!" I cry.

Momo leaps up onto my shoulders, chattering happily, rubbing against my head in greeting. "It's good to see you too, Momo," I say. And then he grows completely still, sitting on my shoulder and looking off into the distance. His ear twitches as it catches the wind, and then he springs off my shoulder and begins gliding through the trees in the direction of the camp. "Momo! Where are you going?" I scramble after him and finally end up in front of small, shabby tent. And more importantly, there is a man outside the tent. My eyes are about level with incredibly broad torso. In horror, I see Momo clambering all over him, skittering this way and that. Thankfully, the man's laughing; it echoes around the camp, delighted and booming. I peer up at him and he smiles curiously with Momo clinging to his head.

"This yours?" he asks good-naturedly, pointing to the lemur.

"Kind of," I reply.

"Friendly little fella," he comments, scratching between Momo's ears, his hand practically cupping the lemur's entire head. Then he raises a suspicious eyebrow. "Say, are you hungry?"

Right on time, my stomach gives a tiny, insistent grumble. "A little," I concede.

He grins, his eyes almost disappearing in it. "C'mon then, I'll rustle you up some grub." Then he begins to walk further into camp. I hesitantly follow after him, watching Momo swing back and forth from his dreadlocks, from one gargantuan shoulder to the other. There are marks there, across the broad expanse of his back, little flesh-colored raised bumps arranged in swirling patterns. Now that I think of it, all of the warriors I saw at the temple had them. I wonder what they mean.

"Come on, now. Don't be shy; I don't bite." He grins back at me, motioning me along. I scurry along beside him, trying to match his long, loping strides. "Name's Kofi," he says, swinging a hand over to me, a hand that's really more like a platypus bear paw.

"I'm Katara," I say, hesitantly offering my own back, unsure what sort of customary greeting he was initiating. I watch as my hand disappears completely in his and he turbulently shakes my entire arm.

"Good to meet ya," he says, releasing my appendage.

"You too," I reply and tenderly rotate my shoulder.

"Well, here it is. Mess Hall." He holds open the tent flap for me and I step through. "Make yourself comfy," Kofi advises and then vanishes.

I look around the room briefly and then settle down at a crudely made log table towards the back of the tent. Sitting there, I glance around at the tribe members eating, drinking, some tentatively sharing humorous remarks, others wearing the same deeply-set marks of grief. I peer up at the sunshine filtering through the thin spots in the tent's roof, spinning amber dust through the air.

"Hello, Katara." I jump in surprise. Masamba stands beside the table with his son.

"Hi, Katara," Jengo chirps.

I smile in return. "Hi."

Suddenly, Masamba's gaze is focused on the tent's entrance. I turn my head too. Zuko and his mother stand there, waiting for a moment, then Masamba motions to them with two fingers. "Ursa, Zuko. Come, we have much to talk about." The two make their way toward us while Jengo and Masamba sit on the opposite side of the table. Ursa joins me on my right, and then Zuko on her other side.

Once we're all settled and looking expectantly at him, the chief says carefully, "I think it's time we discuss... reconnaissance."

I exchange looks with my side of the table and then focus back on Masamba. "It is most imperative that my daughter and the Avatar are back in safe hands."

"Well, that's great, but..." I trail off.

"We don't know where Azula's going," Zuko finishes.

"Ah," Masamba says, holding up a finger. "But we do."

"_How? _How do you-"

"Zuko, let him speak," Ursa scolds, and Zuko mumbles an apology.

I hide a smirk beneath my hand.

Masamba places a hand on his son's shoulders and begins.

While Azula was positioned at their camp and the warriors were away, Jengo spent a lot of time sneaking around and eavesdropping, and because he's so small, no one noticed. While the Fire Princess was speaking to her bodyguards, Jengo overheard them mention the name of their destination. _Shanzhen_. It's an island in the Fire Nation set between Shu Jing and Fire Fountain City. Once an ancient prison beneath the volcano, it has been long since abandoned, but the holding cells remain. Rumor has it, it's more inescapable than Boiling Rock due to the infinite number of volcanic channels; some lead to the surface, others to dead ends, and some collapse, regardless of where they let out. There are only two surefire ways to enter the prison-either through the underwater currents that have proven to be deadly before, the flow carrying people to the bottom of the ocean or straight into hazardously pointy rocks, or through a man-made pathway beginning in a cave, the position of which is unknown.

I swallow hard. I've had my fair share of embarking on perilous journeys, but somehow this seems infinitely more terrifying. Maybe it's because the whole world depends on whether we succeed or not, but, then again, when Sozin's comet comes, it will depend on us once more, and that seems less nerve-wracking too. Perhaps this is more daunting because I'm without Aang and Sokka and Toph. Instead, I have to rely on the one person I trust least and a group of literal strangers.

"I believe we can pack up camp tonight and leave tomorrow for the shore. The Fire Princess is already a day ahead of us, and is travelling by airship. We can't afford to wait any longer," Masamba says.

"You're taking the whole village?" I ask.

Just then, Kofi returns, and a huge platter of dried Komodo Rhino meat clatters to the table. Jengo snatches a gigantic piece of it and begins to earnestly gnaw on it. I smile lightly and I suddenly, with startling acuteness, miss Sokka. I bet he'd like this, no leafy greens or fruit in sight. Just meat. I pick up a smaller piece and chew on it thoughtfully. Kind of like blubbered seal jerky.

"We always travel together," Masamba answers around a mouthful of jerky.

"But isn't that dangerous?"

"They will stay with the ship, far out of sight. It will be perfectly safe, I promise you." The look in his eyes tells me that his mind is made up and that I shouldn't push the issue.

"Won't you miss it here?" I ask instead.

He thinks for a moment. "Perhaps. But we're always moving and we see good in each place we find." Then he stands, brushing the crumbs off his pants. He turns to address everyone at the table, smiling apologetically. "I have other things to attend to now, but you all get a good night's rest." Then he looks at me. "Jengo will show you where you're staying." He musses the boy's hair affectionately and then he raises his hand, a gesture of departure, and exits the tent.

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相信我

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I watch the waxing moon hanging brightly over the treetops; countless brilliant stars puncture the darkness. The sky is all that's familiar here, familiar anywhere. I wonder if Sokka's seeing the sky now, or Aang, or Toph, or Suki, or my dad. I hope they can-I hope they are. I wonder what they're thinking about right now, if they're hurt, if they're scared, if they're missing me right back. I wonder if they know we're coming for them, if they can feel the nervous pounding of my heart from miles and miles away.

I slip carefully out of my sleeping bag, stretching as I stand. Momo lifts his head sleepily, curious. "Go back to sleep, Momo," I soothe and he closes his eyes once more. I tug on my boots and soundlessly escape with my thoughts into the forest. Each night feels a little cooler than the last now. Summer's end is approaching, and so is Sozin's Comet. If we can't pull this off, if we can't get to Shanzhen, get to the prison hidden away in the volcano, the world doesn't have a chance of regaining the peace it once had. It all falls on us now.

I come across a place in the forest where the trees are more sparse and the moonlight shines through. I lean against the slim, silvery trunk of a tree and wait to be calm, for my heart to stop pounding so hard against my ribs.

I wish I could see them, tell them we're on our way, that we'll do whatever we can to get them out. That's impossible, though, and because of that it makes me miss them so much more.

But we're all under the same sky, and that is the greatest comfort of all.

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相信我

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Howdy! So, thank you all for reading/following/favoriting/reviewing, it makes me reeeeeeally happy. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Be sure to give me some feedback if you have any thoughts for where the story's going, or if it could be improved in some way, or post comments on chapter length-whatever! I'm open to it all. Thanks again! See you next week. That was a cheesy sentence. Ennnnnh.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: The Travelling Caravan

"Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule."

Siddhārtha Gautama

The early dawn struggles through the haze enfolding the camp, and the occasional beam of amber warms the earth and reveals the iridescent pinpoints of dew on the leaves of grass. I am awoken by the reluctant trudging of tired feet and stifled yawns, intermingled with the crackling of a new fire and faint morning greetings.

I sit up carefully, stretching, and climb out of my bedroll. Momo sleeps on, curled on top of my knapsack; I eye him enviously and begin to roll up my sleeping bag. The morning isn't my sworn nemesis, like it is Sokka's, but I'm beginning to miss sleep. The past few days haven't exactly provided for copious rest, and the effects are beginning to wear on me. So, the prospect of the long hike to the shore isn't tantalizing, to say the least.

After I'm done packing away my things and making myself presentable, two of the tribespeople come to take down the tent, refusing my help; they assure me that they've got it. I sling my knapsack over my shoulder, and amble towards the center of camp with Momo perched on my shoulder. Not much is different as I approach the bigger clusters of tents; everyone is tiredly, albeit efficiently, taking down the tents and dragging them over to large carts that are meant to be hooked up to equally large animals. Probably the howler lizards. Though still terrifying in my opinion, they appear much less intimidating as they bask in the sun and receive the occasional scratch under the chin from passerby. But they still give me the giggly wigglies.

There _is_ one person, however, that breaks the overall sleepy mold-Kofi. He's broadly grinning, shouting out sentiments like, "Rise and shine!", "Up 'n' at 'em!", and "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" with the occasional hearty punch to the shoulder or a friendly noogie. Most everyone looks surly and thoroughly agitated with the, Agni forbid, _morning person. _I approach him a little warily, prepared to duck out of the line of fire in case he feels moved to clobber me affectionately.

"Rub the sleep out of your eyes, Tefari!" Kofi rumbles, knocking a young man in the back merrily, and then he turns toward me. Momo springs off my shoulder and onto Kofi's, chattering and chirring in greeting. "Hey, little fella," he says, then settles his effervescent smile on me. "Morning, Katara."

"Morning, Kofi," I reply, assuming a stance beside him, watching as the camp is taken down and packed away swiftly, a practiced task. I spot Ursa and Zuko further away, contentedly hauling away a tent. I look quickly down, busying myself the patch of grass under my feet.

Kofi nudges me lightly and hands me a piece of jerky. "For the road," he says, and then motions with his chin to where a few now-full carts are being attached to the lizards, signifying we'll be leaving soon. I take the jerky and tuck it away into a pouch hanging off my belt. "Wanna help out?" he asks, nodding towards the lizards.

_No. No, I do not_. Kofi appears to recognize my expression of pure horror and grins. "C'mon," he encourages.

I stumble along after him towards the huge, black beasts and the carts. Kofi pats one heavily on the side. "This one's called Peggy."

I gulp heavily, staring at its scales glittering grimly in the sun. "Peggy?"

"Yeah. She's real sweet. Aren't you, Peggy?" he coos and scratches her under the chin with an uncanny scraping sound as his fingernails roll across Peggy's scales. Her long, forked tongue flicks out and rasps across Kofi's face appreciatively. Momo peers curiously down at Peggy and she gives him a good once-over with her tongue as well.

I make a face and back away, jabbing my thumb back towards where we came. "Y'know, on second thought... I'll just be... over there," I say and turn on heel, coming face to face with a familiar someone. My wrists are suddenly cuffed by a pair of hands. _I'll save you from the pirates. _Zuko abruptly lets go, as if he had just touched something that was burning, and we slide past one another without a word.

With the collective effort, the camp was packed up and transposed to the carts in under an hour; now we're on the road, marching towards the shore where there's a ship that will take us to Shanzhen. I walk silently beside Kofi, as he hums sporadically and hefts along a mountainous back pack. Momo is curled on top of it, napping idly. It's amazing that Kofi remains so cheery despite being, for all intents and purposes, a pack mule.

I glance around as we trek on; Masamba is up front with various other warriors, and Jengo is scampering behind him with a group of other children; a solemn-looking group of older people walk a little ways in front of Kofi and me, not uttering a word; on the far right, there's a young couple, strolling along in each other's eyes; far to the left and closer to the front, I spy a head of shaggy black hair and a woman with identical, though longer, dark hair walking with him. They look happy, such comradery in the way that they animatedly share the time lost between them. That's something I'll never have; I'll never get mother back. I guess that's one less thing Zuko and I have in common.

From my peripherals I spot Kofi giving me a concerned look, and I realize my face has sunk into a baneful scowl without my knowing. He looks as though he's about to say something, and then settles on a sigh as I smooth out the wrinkles in my forehead and focus my gaze elsewhere. Kofi peers behind him in discomfort, and then turns around and calls out, "Hey, Shasa! You need some help with those?" He slows his pace, waiting for an answer. I follow suit.

A small, stout woman with a relatively small carrying item croaks back, "Don't mind if I do!" And so she determinedly marches in between us, her eyes bright and deeply set into creased coffee skin. She shoves her bag towards Kofi, and he tosses it up with the rest, Momo scrambling out of the way to avoid being nailed. "Woo, my joints are clicking like a snapping turtle dolphin," the woman cackles lightly and unceremoniously kicks one leg forward at a time, her knees popping. As we begin to forge ahead once more, Shasa sends a perplexed look my way. "Now, who's this?"

"I'm Katara." I say, lending her a smile.

"Katara," she says warmly, patting my back. "I sense great power in you, young one." She cracks a toothy smile, showing off her ground-down teeth. She loops her arm through mine and totters along heavily. "You're a waterbender, yes? And a good one at that."

"Well, I don't know..." I flush.

"Don't modest, Katara. You have these gifts for a reason." Shasa nods matter-of-factly.

"But... how did you know?"

"I have my ways." She winks and then links her other arm with Kofi's, which is significantly higher up than hers', but she doesn't seem to mind. "I tell you, I once fell in love with a waterbender..." she reminisces.

I throw a look at Kofi and he rolls his eyes and twirls his finger near his ear.

Shasa gives him the stink eye and whaps him with the back of her hand. "I saw that, young man. And we were in love. Believe it or not, I was young once, looked a little like you." She laughs and nudges me with her hip. "Oh, but some things aren't meant to be. He was gobbled up by a Polar Whale."

I gasp. "That's terrible!"

Shasa nods solemnly. "But then along came Cheng! Boy, he was a looker."

Kofi shakes his head and gives a good-natured sigh.

"Alright, alright," Shasa says. "Enough about me. Do you have a squeeze back home, Katara?" She waggles her thinning eyebrows.

"Squeeze? Oh, no. Not me. No. Not-no." I look down at my shoes as we walk.

"No? Well, we'll have to fix that."

"Actually, I'd really prefer we talk about you." This is mortifying. I look desperately at Kofi for backup, but he just shrugs, grinning from ear to ear.

"Nonsense!" Shasa crows delightedly. _Someone please bury me. _"Look. Now, there's a handsome young man." She nudges Kofi conspiratorially in the side and he chuckles heartily. I reluctantly look in the direction they're sniggering in and I get really cold, because I swear they're looking at Zuko. Kofi and Shasa are looking expectantly at me.

"Who? _Zuko_? No. _No_."

"Well, why not? He seems nice-" Kofi starts innocently.

"Well, he's not," I snap and bore my eyes straight into the ground. Zuko isn't nice, Zuko will never be nice. He's always going to be the Zuko that hounded us and the Zuko whose family wants Aang dead and the entire world under the Fire Nation's control and the Zuko that I might have trusted.

I look up and I feel heavy and cold again. Kofi and Shasa and even Momo are giving me that same concerned look.

I sigh. "I'm sorry, I just..." I glance sourly at the back of Zuko's head. "I can't forgive him again. He was given a chance to do the right thing, and he betrayed my brother, my friends-he betrayed the Avatar. Believe me, he's anything but _nice_."

"…Sometimes, my dear, we have to forgive even when we don't think we can anymore. Sometimes forgiveness is what is needed most," Shasa says carefully, but I can't even think about forgiveness because I'm too... I'm too something. I look at him with his mother and he seems so happy when he's done nothing to deserve happiness. I should have just left him in the woods to brood instead of telling him about his mother. Maybe he would have left. I wish he would just leave. I wish he would be miserable and alone so maybe he'd know what I feel like. But instead he has his mother back and he's on a mission to save my friends that have forgiven him because they don't understand who he is and what he's done. They don't know him like I do.

"He doesn't deserve forgiveness. I hate-" my voice rises, and I take a deep breath, looking away. "I hate him," I whisper and my feet stop dragging along.

Shasa stops beside me and her voice and her eyes suddenly become hard. "We don't need any more hate in this world, Katara." She closes her eyes for a moment and then opens them again, the flame of anger extinguished, now looking tired. "No one can change this world for the better with hate in her heart." She places a wrinkled hand to her chest. "Love, Katara—forgiveness, will do just the trick."

I look down, my hand drifting over my heart, and then swallow heavily. "We should get moving," I say. The group is far ahead of us.

Kofi is just ahead, motioning to us. "Shake a leg, ladies! We're losin' daylight!" Momo pops his head up over Kofi's shoulder and chatters in agreement.

* * *

相信我

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We reach the shore in the late afternoon when the sun is at its hottest and the people at their tiredest. A group of men have begun to drag the large boat-more like a ship, really- out from its storage place, steadily, though slowly, through the sand. Meanwhile, the rest of us have retired to the minimal shade under the skimpy foliage. I stare dubiously at the men and the boat and then at the ocean that's so close.

"Go help," Shasa encourages, swatting my arm. I look hesitantly between her and the water. She nods. "Go, go."

I lift myself off the ground and tentatively approach the boat. I clear my throat. "I, um, I have an idea." I clasp my hands behind me and rock back on my heels.

The men turn their faces warily towards me, but then Masamba steps away from the boat, nodding to me. "Go ahead, Katara." The rest of the men follow his actions, all nodding to me.

I flash a nervous little smile and sink into a bending stance, feeling the ocean in my fingertips and in my palms and in my arms and in all of me. I begin the push and pull, the water creeping up the shore. The boat begins to slide into the water, slowly at first, and then more quickly. The men begin to rush out into the water clambering up into the ship. I drop my arms and watch as they drop the anchor over the side and it splashes into the water, suddenly holding the vessel steady. Masamba is at my side for a moment; he squeezes my shoulder approvingly with a smile and then bounds out into the water to join his men as they hoist the sails and begin to feed out a ramp between the boat and the shore.

The tribespeople begin to haul the provisions up the ramp, some thanking me or sending smiles my way as they pass by. Shasa nudges me in the side and grins. Kofi appears on the other side, carrying twice his weight in supplies. "Good work, kid." Momo scrambles up my back, clinging to my shoulder. He chatters approvingly.

"It was nothing," I say, kicking at the sand with my boot, and I feel a warmth in my chest.

"Now go make yourself useful," Shasa cackles and she and Kofi head towards the ramp.

I smile lightly and turn around to help the others, but there's a scarred face at an exceedingly close proximity blocking my path.

Zuko stands there for a moment, wide-eyed, his mouth opening and closing slightly. "Uh-You did good," he says gruffly and then pushes past me.

I peer behind me as he marches quickly away. I think about what Shasa said about forgiveness and about hate, and I don't think that I can forgive him. Not now. Maybe not ever. But I think that I can try to understand him and try not to be so angry with him. Maybe that's what I can do.

* * *

Hey! Long time no see! I know I haven't posted in a while, but since it's summer, I'm hoping I'll be posting a little more regularly. No promises, but I'm really trying to commit and I may finish this thing, which would be really neat. So, yeah. Have a lovely day/night/morning/life.


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